The Program Review and Viability Committee (PRVC) has the primary responsibility of developing the policies and structure related to comprehensive program review, annual updates, and program viability. The program review plan and documents are revised in the second year of the strategic plan and the first year of the master plans to reflect the changes in the college's planning agenda. The PRVC is made up of college faculty, administrators, and staff. The committee meets on a monthly basis to review and discuss comprehensive program review, annual update, and program viability processes. The Office of Institutional Effectiveness works with the PRVC to develop and refine the structure, process, and documentation of program review. The office is also the contact liaison for all constituencies involved in the program review process - the units under review, the validation committees, the ESGC, and the college president.
Upon completion of the college's Strategic Plan and Educational, Facilities, and Technology Master Plans, the PRVC creates a Program Review Plan. The plan consists of the schedule for the assessment and validation of all campus department, units, and clusters. In addition, the PRVC revises the Comprehensive Program Review Questionnaire to reflect the changes in the planning documents and assess the contribution that each unit is making toward fulfilling the college's plans, mission, and vision.
The Program Review Documents are currently under revision by a taskforce of the PRVC. As indicated by the Shared Governance and Decision-Making Handbook, the next Comprehensive Program Review process will be detailed following the development of the Strategic and Educational Master Plans. To review previous program review documents, please contact OIE.
Individual units complete an annual update plan during the fall term of each year. The purpose of the Annual Update Plan (AUP) is to help units monitor annual progress on action plans/goals and validation committee recommendations made during the comprehensive program review process; plan and implement additional changes to improve student success and institutional effectiveness; and document changes within the department and in the discipline, college, state, or surrounding community that will be useful in conducting a unit's six-year comprehensive program review.
The Annual Update Plan is used as the central process for requesting any resources. Each unit responds to questions regarding its efforts to meet program review recommendations, their unit goals, and the college's Strategic and Educational Master Plans. These responses are used to support unit requests for staff, faculty, equipment, facilities, and augmentations to annual budget allocations; they are prioritized based on the college's planning priorities.
During the fall semester of each year, each department chair or unit manager/director receives an electronic form of the annual update from the Office of Institutional Effectiveness. The Annual Update Plan has three major parts: 1) External Scan and Current Staffing; 2) Unit Plan, Recommendations, and Progress; and 3) Planning and Resource Requests.
» Annual Update Plan 2011-2012
» Annual Update Training
Program Viability
The viability review process focuses on ways to improve programming and student learning through formal evaluation and collegial dialog. The viability process can lead to recommendations for programmatic improvements up to the discontinuance of a college program. The review seeks to incorporate program evaluations in the shared governance structure and allow for an evaluation of a program by representative faculty, staff, and administrators focused on whether the program continues to be viable. The process for viability review follows:
- A request for a viability review is made.
- Approval is granted by PRVC to the Viability Review Committee (VRC) to conduct a Viability Review.
- The OIE facilitates appointment of members to the Viability Review Committee from these constituencies: administrators, faculty, and staff (when appropriate).
- The Viability Review Committee (VRC) meets. At the initial meeting, an overview of the process is discussed. Suggestions and decisions are made about the need for position papers and outside experts. A Unit Profile is created that provides the Viability Review Committee with the data deemed necessary to determine the viability of the unit or program under review. Data may include enrollment trends, student success data, student, faculty and staff responses and other information delineated by the VRC. The completed Unit Profile is distributed to the chair, the manager or the director of the unit under review, and the VRC members.
- A presentation of the Unit Profile is made.
- The chair/unit manager/director responds to the Unit Profile and any areas of concern identified by the Viability Review Committee and describes any challenges the unit has faced.
- A public forum is held so that questions, comments, and concerns can be voiced by members of the campus community. 6. Program Viability Report is prepared by OIE to include the following:
- Specific recommendations with a timeline for action are presented to the ESGC
Recent Program Viability Reports